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Walk: Point of Stoer - Assynt's showroom

The Point of Stoer is set slightly out on a limb from the rest of Assynt. This means it takes a little effort to reach - via several miles of single track roads - but makes a fantastic viewpoint for the region's big hills, all spread out like cars in a showroom when seen from the walk's high-level return. Before that, the more popular coastal stretch takes in the remote lighthouse, grand cliffs, plenty of seabirds at the right time of year, and the Old Man of Stoer: a 200-foot sandstone sea stack popular among rock climbers. The narrow ridge jutting into the sea at Cìrean Geardail offers the ultimate vantage point for the brave (or should that be stupid?).

Route: Car park & lighthouse - Old Man of Stoer via coast path - Point of Stoer - Sìthean Mòr - WWII radar station at G.R.: NC 008329 - startTerrain: Mostly clear path for most of coastal section, a bit wet at times. Pathless around Point of Stoer (with a fence to cross), with various faint trods ascending Sìthean Mòr if you can find one! After summit, wide moorland paths with a few boggy stretches take you towards the radar station but braid confusingly later on; then track past radar station to start.Wildlife today: A surprisingly wide variety of seabirds: gannets, cormorants or shags, fulmars, (pink-footed) black guillemots, skuas, kittiwakes and skuas.Weather today: Occasional sunshine but mostly cloudy, with rain showers keeping their distance. Moderate wind, temperature in mid teens.

[Cìrean Geardail (left) & the Old Man of Stoer (right)]

Route credit: Scotland off the beaten track

[Looking back to Stoer Head Lighthouse]

[Geodh' nan Daoine]

[Once wet and eroded, the path has been improved on this key section across a boggy valley]

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